Welcome to the forum... I think what mt spokane was referring to regarding a replacement was an upcoming 70D or 7d2... But dont even sweat it... The 60D is plenty of camera to get your feet wet, get your chops going, and if and when you outgrow it, you can look at the 7d series, 5d series, or 1d series when your experience and budget will allow. AFMA is referring to the manual adjusting of the lens in regards to the Autofocus. Sometimes it is close but do to some tolerance level on the body and lens, it may be a hair off either front focused or back focused and the AFMA fixes that... Odd's are you may never need that, but it's a nice feature to have in an extreme situation... but sending the lens/camera into canon and have them re-adjust within the warranty period works just fine as well. Lens selection, get some general purpose zooms, and when you get to the point where you see habits of using a certain focal lengths such as 35,50,85,100,200, etc... Then look at getting some fast prime fixed lenses... you lose the convenience of a zoom but gain it back and then some in image quality and shallow focus opportunities. Good luck and let us know if you need any help or assistance.

Ahhh Oki-doki, manual focus, yeah, I'm going to start that in a few months, I have noticed that there are some pics coming out a bit off, so coming from a SX20 to 60D I'm used to it.

I wouldn't get too hung up on L lenses either, especially if you are operating on a budget. There are some great Sigma, Tamron, Tokina lenses out there that will really save you some $ over the Canon competition. Just be sure to read the reviews on any lens before you buy it, if you haven't checked out these sites yet they're a great place to look for in-depth reviews:

Japanese used lens are usually in great condition and come with a 6 month warranty from the store usually. But the thing you'll probably find out sooner than later is that camera equipement is MUCH cheaper in the US than in Japan, even though it is made here. My recommendation would be to buy from B&H photo and have it shipped out to Japan. YOu'll have to pay about a 5% (goign up to 10% over the next few years) in duty charges, but it'll still be significantly cheaper unless you are buying anything released this year.

Oh, thanks for the site, I can ask the Boss AKA: The wife... to check it out too.

Yeah I know Japan is expensive, but you never know, a used cap, tripod, etc. may not be that bad.

If you have a FPO/APO box (which I assume you have access to, since you mentioned AAFES) you won't have to worry about duty fees, which leads me to my next point, ANYTHING camera related is cheaper, way cheaper online from Adorama or BH than AAFES or out on town. Plus better customer support. This is how I buy practically everything, as stuff is just too expensive here.

Be aware, that with at least Adorama, they won't send items that are over a certain dollar amount through USPS priority mail, which I'm sure you know is the only way to get things mailed here, quickly and relatively cheaply.

Since you have been here for 12 years and I only 8 months, I'm sure you know that are many fantastic locations to shoot at here.

Yes, On-line cheaper for little things, but the camera I went AAFES for return and extended warranty plan, it's awesome, I can toss this thing against the wall and it's fixed free for two years. I can also buy more extended warranty if I want. So after two years, I want more peace of mind.

I'll check those flicker accounts.

Here are some low resolution sample ONLY pictures from my first day out with the new camera.

Yes, it's technically not a HDR with multiple exposures blended, etc... But it doesn't have crazy saturated colors, however, it does have equal (or close to it) detail in the shadows as well as the highlights.. Especially if I could show you the RAW file..

I hate to be the one to say it, but you process too much, especially the HDR.... You need better software, or preferably better techniques...

I thought the same thing, but of course it's a matter of taste and my first hdr shots looked exactly the same. When hdr was introduced, everyone was crazy for this "hdr style", but in the meantime the reactions are less enthusiastic.

My hint concerning high dynamic range shots: Take 7 raw shots with +-0,5ev (use magic lantern or the 5d3). Back @home, get Photomatrix (it integrates with Lightroom), import the shots and then choose if you want to use the more natural looking exposure fusion with all shots (the final shot is assembled like a puzzle) or "real" hdr with the 3 extreme ones (all exposures are layered). Then you can fine-tune the sliders to get either an "artistic" or natural expression.

And don't throw away the source files after assembly like I did with my first shots - in 1-2 years if you've learned more you may want to re-process them!

yes, the 100-400 is a good lens for the money - if you need length and zoom. the 200 2.8L prime will get you length and better IQ for less money.

I added the "save for an L lens" with a bit of tongue in cheek. with that said, the build quality and images that come from some L's are fantastic, and make saving, looking for, and eventually buying one a worthwhile path to start on. IMO.

I miss Japan. I was there for 6 months when I was in school in 2000. Kyoto is my favorite city, especially in April/May with the hanami and everything. I wish I had my 7d back then. You'll want to be careful when buying "L" lenses. They are like crack, once you get one, nothing else will do

I hate to be the one to say it, but you process too much, especially the HDR.... You need better software, or preferably better techniques...

Yes, it's technically not a HDR with multiple exposures blended, etc... But it doesn't have crazy saturated colors, however, it does have equal (or close to it) detail in the shadows as well as the highlights.. Especially if I could show you the RAW file..

To each his own and I'm a HDR crack whore, it's the style I likes. (><) I'll take into consideration your advice.

I thought the same thing, but of course it's a matter of taste and my first hdr shots looked exactly the same. When hdr was introduced, everyone was crazy for this "hdr style", but in the meantime the reactions are less enthusiastic.

My hint concerning high dynamic range shots: Take 7 raw shots with +-0,5ev (use magic lantern or the 5d3). Back @home, get Photomatrix (it integrates with Lightroom), import the shots and then choose if you want to use the more natural looking exposure fusion with all shots (the final shot is assembled like a puzzle) or "real" hdr with the 3 extreme ones (all exposures are layered). Then you can fine-tune the sliders to get either an "artistic" or natural expression.

And don't throw away the source files after assembly like I did with my first shots - in 1-2 years if you've learned more you may want to re-process them!

I miss Japan. I was there for 6 months when I was in school in 2000. Kyoto is my favorite city, especially in April/May with the hanami and everything. I wish I had my 7d back then. You'll want to be careful when buying "L" lenses. They are like crack, once you get one, nothing else will do

A. Awesome, yeah I've lived half my adult life in Japan.LOVE. IT.

B. Oh cool, going to Kyoto tomorrow!! So hope to have some more Crack Whore HDR shots soon !

Maybe I should change my name to HDR Crack Whore? It'd be easier for folks to understand the style I like,pictures I want, the art I like. I'm a big fan of Patrick Nagel.

Are there any black and White whores as well as sepia whoresaround here? I need to ask them some questions. Seriously, I need some advice on whatthat crack tastes like. I can't getmy black and whites to look goodand my sepia are to orange.

Thanks for the advice all, see ya when I get back, I hope to have more HDR crack whore pictures.

No, it shouldn't :-) ... look at the blue of the sky on the top right, the brightness jump is a sign of an assembly artifact and doesn't look natural.

Hate to tell you, but the sliders that affect the blue colors were pretty close to neutral... This is LR4 and I can't help it if the polarizer made it brighter... Notice how the top section is much brighter than the section that shows through the trees right below it?? Wide angle (set at 17mm on FF)+ CPL is the answer to that question.. But as the OP can attest to, the skies here in Okinawa are incredibly bright, and that day was no exception. And ftr, that shot is one picture, not a 7 different ev exposure.

My point remains the same, there's overdone HDR, and subtly done stuff... And I speak for myself, but anything I happen to do definitely goes to the latter... I'm sure if I cared I could go back in LR4 and adjust that a little.. Hold on, I'll try...

Nope. There's not much I know how to do to make it look any different. In case you actually care, I bumped the exposure down by .3, took the brightness down pretty much all the way to cut the glare out of everything, which still didn't show much if any clipping, and then boosted the shadows a little bit to bring some detail back.

No, it shouldn't :-) ... look at the blue of the sky on the top right, the brightness jump is a sign of an assembly artifact and doesn't look natural.

Hate to tell you, but the sliders that affect the blue colors were pretty close to neutral... This is LR4 and I can't help it if the polarizer made it brighter...

Ok, using a polarizer explains the shift in sky color, too - that's why using a polarizer on wide-angle is tricky after all. I only use polarizers to remove reflections when there's no sky in the picture.

Thanks, I appreciate the advice.I'm just enjoying reading posts from the past, most search results find what I'm looking for or answers to my questions.

Peace!

Dear blaydese.All of the Comments/ Commends from all of our members CR., Including Mr. Sanj, My dear teacher, Are from their heart and their expertise, That We, (You and Me) can learn from them, to improve our skill in Love Photography.Happy Holiday.Surapon